Creating Our Own Tabernacle
By Dennis Pollock
In the Bible, especially in the Old Testament we read about tabernacles. Moses had his own personal tabernacle, as did David, and then there was the official tabernacle whose dimensions, details, and specific materials were given directly from the mouth of God. First, let’s consider Moses’ personal tabernacle. The Bible tells us:
Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. (Exodus 33:7)
This does not refer to the beautiful tabernacle that would be created later, made of gold, silver, and beautiful fabric. This was simply an ordinary tent, set up by Moses, where Moses and others could meet with the Lord. You might think of it as a prayer chapel for anyone desiring to talk to and draw near to God. Moses was eager for the Israelites to respect and use this tent for prayer purposes, so he gave it a name: “The Tabernacle of Meeting.”
Moses made good use of this small tabernacle and went there often. The Bible says:
So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. (Exodus 33:8-9)
Moses & God
When Moses approached this little tent / prayer chapel, it was a big deal, such a big deal that all the Israelites would stand around and watch from a distance. And once Moses went into the tent, something supernatural would happen. The cloud of God’s glory that led them from place to place and camp to camp, would descend on the tent and rest at the door of the tent. God seemed to be saying something like, “Everybody stay back. I am doing business with Moses, My servant.” And then the Scriptures tells us what would happen on the inside of the tabernacle: “The Lord talked with Moses.”
The cloud by the door reminds me of when I was involved in a television ministry. On the door that opened to the studio there was a red light, and when the red light was on it meant: “Do not come in; we are recording.” This cloud by the entrance to the tabernacle seemed to serve that purpose. Others could go in and out of the tabernacle for prayer, but the cloud never descended. But when Moses entered God wanted to make sure that everybody knew he was not to be disturbed. Very important business was going on.
Moses would often take his assistant, Joshua, into the tabernacle with him, and after Moses finished his time with the LORD, he would leave the tent. The Bible says: “And he (Moses) would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.” (Exodus 33:11). Joshua must have so loved the presence of the Lord that he enjoyed just hanging around that glorious tent and soaking in the presence of the Holy One. No wonder, when it was time for Moses to die, God chose Joshua to be his successor, the one to lead Israel into their promised land!
David’s Tabernacle
We also find a “tabernacle of meeting” in the life of King David, although it is not called by that name. Let me share a verse from one of David’s psalms that might be puzzling to believers if they ever stopped and thought about it. In Psalm 27 David writes:
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
You may be saying, “There’s nothing too surprising about that. David loved to go into the temple and enjoy the presence of the Lord.” But remember that in David’s days there was no temple of the Lord. The temple was built by David’s son, Solomon, after David had been dead for several years. So why is David saying that he yearns to go into the “house of the Lord?” It’s a little mysterious and it is not spelled out as plainly as with Moses, but it appears that, like Moses, David created his own “tabernacle of meeting.”
It began when David arranged for the ark of the covenant to be brought to his capital city of Jerusalem. The Bible tells us: “David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it.” (1 Chronicles 15:1). He wanted to go further than this and build a temple to house the ark, but God would not allow it and told him that his son would build this temple. So David did exactly as Moses had done – he pitched a tent in Jerusalem and had the ark of the covenant placed inside the tent.
At this time there was no holy of holies, no curtain separating the inner court from the outer court. There was just a simple tent with the ark inside. And David would go inside this tent, admire this mysterious ark, and sing to and worship God. After David’s sin with Bathsheba, God struck their son as a punishment. David spent a week fasting and praying that God would spare his baby boy. But God was not moved, and the baby died. When David discovered that his son was dead, the Bible says: “So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.” (2 Samuel 12:20). This is not telling us David went to the temple; again, there was no temple in those days. What David did was, he went into this tent which contained the ark of the covenant and worshiped the God who gives and takes away. That little, unimpressive tent, David’s personal “tabernacle of meeting” was where he worshiped God best, and in this hour of crisis, he went straight there.
Our Own Personal Tabernacle
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we each had our own personal tabernacle of meeting these days. The good news is, we have! Jesus told the Samaritan woman He met at the well
Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father… the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (John 4:21-23)
Where is our tabernacle of meeting today? It is not in Jerusalem, not in a tent. It is not in any particular geographical location or building. Our tabernacle of meeting is wherever we are, when we yearn to worship the Lord. Often for me, my “tabernacle” is my recliner in my office. I put on some Christian music, make a cup of tea or coffee, and talk to the Lord. Sometimes it is in my bedroom, sometimes it is in the church sanctuary, and sometimes in my car.
Jesus’ death on the cross and mighty resurrection have made it possible for all believers to meet with God wherever they happen to be. Once we are safely in Christ, the curtain that separates God from man has been ripped apart, and we find God in the most unlikely places – whenever we call upon Him. In Jesus Christ, He will always be found.
